Charles dobbs



G. DOBBS.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(No Model.) I

' No. 499,523. Patented June 13, 1893.

INVENTOH W fi ATTOHNEYS.' Y

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES DOBBS, OF NEVADA, TEXAS.

Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,523, dated June 13, 1893.

Application filed March 1, 1893.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES DOBBS, of Nevada, in the county of Collin and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Innprovemeut in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a full, clear,'and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in fire escapes of the folding ladder type, and has for its. object to provide a novel, simple and reliable device of the character indicated, which will be adapted for compact and convenient folding into a close package for storage in a room to be protected therewith, be readily adjustable for service, be capable of falling into position for use, unfolding by gravity of its parts, he held away from the wall by its peculiar construction, and be adapted for the attachment of a duplicate ladder when this is necessary.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a broken front view of the improved fire escape ladder extended. Fig. 2

'is a broken side view of the improvement pendent from a window in a house wall, broken away and in section; and Fig. 3 is a detached side View of the improved fire es-.

cape ladder in folded adjustment.

The ladder may be made of any desired length, and consists of series of similar ladder sections jointed together at the ends by link plates, as will be further described.

Each ladder section consists of two side bars A of a like form individually, consisting of a flat metal bar of a proper thickness and length for efficient service, the edges of the side bars being given a suitable width and made parallel between the ends, Where lateral rounded protuberancesa are formed,one at each end of aside bar of equal size and on the same edge of the bar, as represented in Figs. 2 and 3. At or near the longitudinal centers of the pair of side bars A that are main members of a ladder section, opposite lateral perforations are therein formed, for the reception of the reduced end portions of aladder rung B. The rungsB are each preferably Serial No. 464,159. (No model.)

- formed of a round metallic bar, all having an equal length which is proportioned to the desired width of the ladder sections, their thickness being sufficient for required strength, while excessive weight is avoided. The enlarged ends of the ladder sections are oppositely perforated at the centers of the circular and laterally projected formations a, on said ends, and on the upper and lower ends of the complete ladder a rung B is inserted in the perforations of the laterally bossed ends, as the projections a are for convenience termed. As shown, the end portions of the rungs B are reduced in diameter where they closely fit within the perforations formed in the side bars A to receive them, thereby producing shoulders whereon the side bars impinge when the rungs are secured thereto by the nuts I).

The ends of the several sections which compose the improved fire escape ladder, are loosely secured together by similar pairs of links 0 that are oblong fiat plates of metal, rounded on the ends as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, having properdimensions to adapt them to secure the ladder sections together and permit said sections to fold edgewise and closely. The link plates 0 are all perforated laterally near each end, these perforations having the same degree or distance of separation in each link plate, so that when pivotally attached to the side bars A, there will be the same dis- I tance afforded between all the sections of the ladder. The link plates 0, in pairs, are pivoted by one end oppositely upon the sides of the side bars A, so that their main portions will project beyond the latter and be adapted to receive the bossed ends of the ladder section that is to be thereto connected. Other rungs D are provided which are similar in form to the rungs B as to their thickness and length between the shoulders thereon, which shoulders determine the Width between the link plates 0 that are upon the inner sides of the side bars A; said rungs D have longer reduced end portions to allow them to pass through the two link plates 0, and an intervening bossed end at of a side bar, and extend exterior of the outer link plate so that a nut ladder; thus retaining the several sections of the ladder in such a hinged connection with each other as will permit these similar ladder portions to be easily folded into a compact mass, as shown in Fig. 3.

The complete ladder is designed to be kept in a room of a building, at such an elevation from the ground as will require safe means for a quick descentthrough the window in case of fire that cuts off egress by other avenues of escape.

A preferred means for the reliable and speedy suspension of the improved fire escape from a window is indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, consisting of a metal cross-bar E, having sufficient length to permit it to be introduced transversely of the window casement F on the inner side of the latter, which bar is flexibly connected to the upper rung of the ladder by the duplicate chains G, that will serve to suspend the ladder from the bar When it is in position. Two other chains I are provided which are attached by one end of each to the upper rung B, near the attached ends of the chains I, having rings 0 on them that in service are hooked over the hooks d that are secured upon the wall of the room,within it, and below the sill of the window, over which the chainsI are tautly drawn when the ladder is hung from said window pendently in front of other windows, in case the building is of a considerable height and the ladder is in an upper room of the building.

It will be seen that when the improved ladder composed of the several sections hereinbefore described, is connected at its upper end with the window casement, as has been explained, and then allowed to drop with the bossed portions a toward the house wall, these projections will hold the ladder away from the wall, so that there will sufficient space intervene the wall and rungs B, D, to permit the assured engagement of the feet and hands of an occupant of the ladder when ascending or descending the same.

When occasion requires, there may be several ladders of the improved construction connected to each other in sequence, so as to allow the inmates of different stories in a high building to use the long ladder thus provided, as an avenue of escape from the burning building. To this end hooks e are provided that depend from the lower rungs of the several ladders, which may be kept in rooms of the building that are in the same tier, so that the occupant of a room below the upper one may hook the ladder in the room below upon the one pendent from above, and by a succession of like adjustments for the several ladders in the tier of rooms, it is possible to speedily arrange the several ladders in one pendent long ladder, so as to reach from the highest room of the building to the ground, and thus afford a safe and convenient means for descent from all the stories of the building provided with the improvement.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a fire escape, a ladder comprising a series of like sections, each composed of two side bars laterally bossed on like edges at their ends, and said sections provided with transverse rungs and loosely connected at their ends by pivoted link plates, substantially as described.

2. In a fire escape, a ladder composed of a series of like sections, each having two side bars that have projections on their edges at their ends, transverse rungs secured between pairs of the side bars, and pairs of pivoted link plates between the adjacent ends of two ladder sections, substantially as described.

3. A fire escape, comprising a series of similar ladder sections, each composed of two side bars whereon rounded bosses project edgewise at the ends on the same edges, transverse rungs secured loosely to pairs of the side bars by reduced shouldered ends and spacing said paired bars, two pairs of link plates pivoted upon the adjacent ends of the ladder sections,

a loose cross-bar adapted to transversely engage a window casement interiorly, chains between said bar and the top rung of the ladder, and other chains on said ladder rung adapted to extend Within a room over the Window sill and hook on projections below the sill, substantially as described.

CHARLES DOBBS. Witnesses:

J. D. BRYANT, J. F. ALDERSON. 

